Washington: A US judge said Twitter To surrender more data to Elon on Thursday musk On fake accounts, a major issue the billionaire is using to try to quash his buyout bid.
While Judge Kathleen McCormick allowed Tesla Boss’ team made an opening to bolster their argument that Musk was misled, chasing them for “absolutely extensive” requests for “trillions over trillions of data points.”
The judge ordered Twitter to hand over data on 9,000 accounts audited by the firm in late 2021, opening the door to information that would be used in an effort to abandon Musk’s $44 billion deal.
“Some additional data from plaintiffs (Twitter) appears to warrant,” McCormick wrote in his four-page ruling, without elaborating.
Musk has argued that Twitter was dishonest over the number of false or spam accounts, leading to strong denials and a lawsuit from the social media firm that led to trial set in mid-October.
Musk’s lawyers worked hard to force the firm to turn over mountains of information at a hearing on Wednesday, while a fresh disclosure of serious flaws inside the company captured the claims of Twitter whistleblowers.
Twitter attorney Bradley Wilson countered that the company defrauded no one, and Musk wants a “do-over” about the questions he should have asked before offering his unsolicited buyout earlier this year.
The firm opposes handing over certain types of data for reasons including the potential to violate user privacy protected by law, its attorney Wilson argued.
Even if Musk’s experts come to a different conclusion about the number of spam accounts on Twitter, it would not be such a significant breach as to let him breach the purchase contract, Twitter lawyers argue.
Whistleblower Peter Zatko’s complaint to US officials accuses Twitter of issuing untrue statements on account numbers because “if accurate measurements ever become public, it would damage the company’s image and valuation.”
It was not immediately clear whether the complaint, and its use by Musk’s lawyers, would significantly change the course of the case.
Lawyers for Twitter had expressed concern that Musk may misuse the sensitive data he gives to his lawyers.
The judge said the billionaire’s team “has agreed to keep this data highly confidential.”
While Judge Kathleen McCormick allowed Tesla Boss’ team made an opening to bolster their argument that Musk was misled, chasing them for “absolutely extensive” requests for “trillions over trillions of data points.”
The judge ordered Twitter to hand over data on 9,000 accounts audited by the firm in late 2021, opening the door to information that would be used in an effort to abandon Musk’s $44 billion deal.
“Some additional data from plaintiffs (Twitter) appears to warrant,” McCormick wrote in his four-page ruling, without elaborating.
Musk has argued that Twitter was dishonest over the number of false or spam accounts, leading to strong denials and a lawsuit from the social media firm that led to trial set in mid-October.
Musk’s lawyers worked hard to force the firm to turn over mountains of information at a hearing on Wednesday, while a fresh disclosure of serious flaws inside the company captured the claims of Twitter whistleblowers.
Twitter attorney Bradley Wilson countered that the company defrauded no one, and Musk wants a “do-over” about the questions he should have asked before offering his unsolicited buyout earlier this year.
The firm opposes handing over certain types of data for reasons including the potential to violate user privacy protected by law, its attorney Wilson argued.
Even if Musk’s experts come to a different conclusion about the number of spam accounts on Twitter, it would not be such a significant breach as to let him breach the purchase contract, Twitter lawyers argue.
Whistleblower Peter Zatko’s complaint to US officials accuses Twitter of issuing untrue statements on account numbers because “if accurate measurements ever become public, it would damage the company’s image and valuation.”
It was not immediately clear whether the complaint, and its use by Musk’s lawyers, would significantly change the course of the case.
Lawyers for Twitter had expressed concern that Musk may misuse the sensitive data he gives to his lawyers.
The judge said the billionaire’s team “has agreed to keep this data highly confidential.”